Traci Gardner

@newsfromtengrrl for 2010-07-20

July 20, 2010

Children's Illustrators Help Save Gulf Oil Spill Wildlife Victims | School Library Journal » http://bit.ly/9nxsOO #mowillems #
Good Teaching in Action:How to Be an Education Troubleshooter | Educational Leadership: http://bit.ly/bL967x #
Law and Policy in IT: Internet 101 – Law, Policy — and IT? – Inside Higher Ed http://bit.ly/9T90am #
Internet 102 – Law, Policy — and IT? – Inside Higher Ed http://bit.ly/dvbP1e #
Day 19 Of My iPad Paperless Experiment – Technology and Learning – Inside Higher Ed http://bit.ly/dlifMY #
How to Stay Sane in the Classroom (Poets' Division) – The Chronicle of Higher Education http://bit.ly/cHL7sY #
Attack of the Pads: Tablets Take On Apple | Gadget Lab | Wired.com http://bit.ly/bLYR2k #
Boys Trail Girls in Reading; Can Fart Jokes Help? – ABC News http://bit.ly/aBEF00 #
3 schools will use iPods in classrooms | DailyTidings.com http://bit.ly/dcjzEv #
Thoughts on the Rebirth of FEED – ProfHacker – The Chronicle of Higher Education http://bit.ly/b5SBGJ #
OCR Those PDFs – ProfHacker – The Chronicle of Higher Education http://bit.ly/a9a78K #
More Universities Announce iPad Experiments – Wired Campus – The Chronicle of Higher Education http://bit.ly/aPQgOt #
Using Failure to Reflect on our Teaching – ProfHacker – The Chronicle of Higher Education http://bit.ly/9GEN2b #
Cheating In College Is Widespread — But Why? : NPR http://n.pr/d70qX3 #
The Disappearing College Catalog – University of Venus – Inside Higher Ed http://bit.ly/9AyNtn #
Writing IS Thinking – Inside Higher Ed http://bit.ly/bfLReA #
Colleges and the Common Core – Inside Higher Ed http://bit.ly/a2mRWs #
Using Library Experts Wisely – Inside Higher Ed http://bit.ly/bG1Yzf #

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@newsfromtengrrl for 2010-07-19

July 19, 2010

Dancing at Auschwitz – The Chronicle of Higher Education http://bit.ly/bTkeGF #
In Online Journalism, Burnout Starts Younger – NYTimes.com http://nyti.ms/c4eRw4 #
Policing the Web’s Lurid Precincts – NYTimes.com http://nyti.ms/bmJQBs #
HG Wells writing competition demands handwriting, no science fiction; no one applies – Boing Boing http://bit.ly/bSs51X #
Amazon Says E-Books Now Top Hardcover Sales – NYTimes.com http://nyti.ms/98Zya1 #
The Problem of Plagiarism in School (Letters) – NYTimes.com http://nyti.ms/b6F1wL #
How Do You Teach A Tragedy? | NJ Spotlight | http://bit.ly/9K8csZ #
Good and Risky: The Promise of a Liberal Education | Huffington Post » http://huff.to/dyS9Rz #
Temple professor Renee Hobbs: A computer doesn't make kids smart | Philadelphia Daily News » http://bit.ly/bzLl3m #
The Future of Advanced Placement – Inside Higher Ed http://bit.ly/dhdHhn #
Burned-out students take timeout before starting college – The Boston Globe http://bit.ly/avCI9j #
Code switch: Formal English – the crossroads between black and white worlds – The Boston Globe http://bit.ly/cMiizw #
What Belongs in a 21st-Century Classroom? Faculty and IT Staff Disagree – The Chronicle of Higher Education http://bit.ly/bqRZe0 #
House Passes Bill to Create New Job-Training Grants for Community Colleges – The Chronicle of Higher Education http://bit.ly/9snmtk #
Ernest L. Boyer and the Scholarship of Integration – ProfHacker – The Chronicle of Higher Education http://bit.ly/bW3cH9 #
Teachers Walking The Talk – THE DAILY RIFF – http://bit.ly/a2AdQ9 #
Using Mendeley for Research Management – ProfHacker – The Chronicle of Higher Education http://bit.ly/9TR5o4 #
Blog’s Readers Enjoy a Good Whodunit – NYTimes.com http://nyti.ms/a4HkC5 #

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@newsfromtengrrl for 2010-07-18

July 18, 2010

Sometimes It's Okay To Judge A Book by Its Cover | Huffington Post » http://huff.to/c99ZlV (poetry & e-readers) #
Technology a key tool in writing instruction | eSchoolNews http://bit.ly/92cEpJ #
As Older Users Join Facebook, Network Grapples With Death – NYTimes.com http://nyti.ms/ciwzQO #
Only Disconnect – NYTimes.com http://nyti.ms/9NHGF2 #
Exclamation points don't impress in business writing | Crain's Chicago Business http://bit.ly/aKg3sK #

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My Top 3 Tips for Teaching with Twitter

July 18, 2010

So you’re ready to dive in and try Twitter in the classroom. Let me share these tips that can make sure your classroom experience is a smooth and effective.

Create separate logins. Audience and purpose shift from message to message. Set up different Twitter accounts to keep classroom updates separate from updates for family, friends, and others. There are tips to make managing multiple accounts easier. Encourage students to create a separate account for official class work as well. I actually post on four accounts:

@newsfromtengrrl for college education in the news
@tengrrl for personal updates to friends
@hokiebunny for info related to my friends from Geekshed
@BedfordBits for updates on Bedford/St. Martins blogs

Use hashtags. Choose a specific and unique hashtag (# plus a keyword) to group updates from your different classes (e.g., #VTEngl10). See “How To Create Successful Chats on Twitter with Hashtags” for more suggestions. Lists can work too, but you have to set up a list. You can just search for hashtags.
Use search creatively. Obviously you can search for those hashtags you’re using, but there are some more sophisticated search tools you can use to narrow down exactly what you’re looking for. Pair a search for your hashtag with filter:links to get just the Tweets that have URLS. That’s an easy way to find those links to an assignment students posted. The until: and since: operators can narrow down Tweets by date.

And one extra tip: you can always Make your own Twitter bird if you need to relieve some stress.

[Creative Commons licensed Flickr photo by Lisa Yarost]

Filed under Teaching with Digital Tools Tagged with audience, classroom managment, twitter

@newsfromtengrrl for 2010-07-17

July 17, 2010

Tweet Less, Kiss More – NYTimes.com http://nyti.ms/ad0J3R #
Book Writing Advice for Nerds | Lifehacker » http://bit.ly/cOmFJj #
Wordsworth's focus on inner life and nature has lasting influence on poetry | OregonLive.com http://bit.ly/a9GRjK #
Illinois writing test eliminated for 2010-11 – chicagotribune.com http://bit.ly/c0U96I #
Electronic reading devices are transforming the concept of a book – latimes.com http://bit.ly/aYsAaX #
Harvard profs dropping final exams | Washington Post » http://bit.ly/bHaQAN #
Using computers to teach children with no teachers | BBC News – http://bit.ly/aZUe0F #
Growing trend of social networking sites for children | BBC News – http://bit.ly/cIjaNK #
Ten of the best card games in literature | The Guardian http://bit.ly/cLdabC #
'Racy' Google Themes Draw Complaints From Colleges Using Company's Services – The Chronicle of Higher Education http://bit.ly/cgjo1D #

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@newsfromtengrrl for 2010-07-16

July 16, 2010

Manly Meals and Feminine Foods – Percolator – The Chronicle of Higher Education http://bit.ly/bUWRmh #
'Anything Is Possible When You're in the Library' – The Chronicle of Higher Education http://bit.ly/aZG4TV (Old Spice Man Parody) #
When Funny Goes Viral: Taking Web Humor Seriously, Sort Of – NYTimes.com http://nyti.ms/alyJGX #
Born to Check Mail (Book Review – Hamlet’s Blackberry – By William Powers) – NYTimes.com http://nyti.ms/dapnPa #
First Facebook novel blurs the line between author and reader | Deutsche Welle | http://bit.ly/9dkKoP #
He said, she said: Good grammar improves communication | Film Journal » http://bit.ly/da7hZi #
How to Speak a Language That Your Robot Will Understand | Discover Magazine http://bit.ly/cighYo #
Technologically Illiterate Students – Inside Higher Ed http://bit.ly/d7AzjI #
Study Finds No Link Between Social-Networking Sites and Academic Performance – The Chronicle of Higher Education http://bit.ly/boQU8R #
6 Ways to Make Adjuncting More Effective and Fulfilling – ProfHacker – The Chronicle of Higher Education http://bit.ly/91Ac7i #
A Classroom Experiment: Ditching a Textbook – ProfHacker – The Chronicle of Higher Education http://bit.ly/c8RIYb #
'The Great Gatsby' is now a PC game | stltoday.com » http://bit.ly/d9x8en #
Writing Project Prof Development Continues to Yield Gains in Student Writing Achievement – National Writing Project http://bit.ly/cPraTr #
A Concise History of “Fuck” | VF Daily | Vanity Fair http://bit.ly/bMT287 (via @grammargirl) #

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@newsfromtengrrl for 2010-07-15

July 15, 2010

Our Crazy Balkanized Curricular Media Space – Technology and Learning – Inside Higher Ed http://bit.ly/bw96oB #
Creating the Perfect Instructor – Inside Higher Ed http://bit.ly/cWiBdc #
Blackboard's Bid to Galvanize E-Texts – Inside Higher Ed http://bit.ly/a6ELd4 #
Teaching or Preaching? – Inside Higher Ed http://bit.ly/b8kURF #
American U. Adjusts Its Test-Optional Policy – Head Count – The Chronicle of Higher Education http://bit.ly/dw6229 #
Check which famous writer you write like with this statistical analysis tool: I Write Like http://bit.ly/cobRdY #
Colonoscopy: It’s Time to Check Your Colons | The Millions: http://bit.ly/bG7INx #punctuation #
William Faulkner Goes Online, 50 Years Later: Audio Recordings : NPR http://n.pr/cW72s1 #
Developing a Mindful Practice around Moving Images in the K-12 Classroom | California Chronicle | http://bit.ly/cureSH #
Ill. teachers find creative writing inspiration – chicagotribune.com http://bit.ly/duyBPQ #
Long papers in high school? Many college freshmen say they never had to do one. | Washington Post » http://bit.ly/b9E0fn #
NCLB Seen Impeding Indigenous-Language Preservation | Education Week: http://bit.ly/ayKufr #
A Practical Guide to using Social Media in your Job – Social Media for Working & Learning http://bit.ly/b3sLim #
Catalogue your Books with Book Catalogue (the Application) – ProfHacker – The Chronicle of Higher Education http://bit.ly/briZsY #
Poetry Pairing – The Learning Network Blog – NYTimes.com http://nyti.ms/casq5q #
Teens Using Digital Drugs to Get High | Threat Level | Wired.com http://bit.ly/b7vXCa #
Preparing for College: Tech Essentials for Your First Year | Lifehacker » http://bit.ly/d74Ymm #
826 Reinvents the Writing Center – National Writing Project http://bit.ly/a3nIji #

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@newsfromtengrrl for 2010-07-14

July 14, 2010

Millions of books get digitized for the disabled – USATODAY.com http://bit.ly/bcVRml #
When Students are Homophobic – Confessions of a Community College Dean – Inside Higher Ed http://bit.ly/bDiZiu #
Google and the Digital Humanities – Inside Higher Ed http://bit.ly/cA4ctB #
Whither the Wikis? – Inside Higher Ed http://bit.ly/9Q0j6Z #
Latest Attempt to Hawk E-Textbooks: Make Them Easier for Professors to Use – The Chronicle of Higher Education http://bit.ly/a2UXmd #
Quiz: Bastille in literature | guardian.co.uk http://bit.ly/cCQdGQ #
Exploring The American Dream In The South Bronx : NPR http://n.pr/91LigF #
How technology can help spread literacy – Fortune Tech http://bit.ly/byfyEq #
Typing to Tagging: 50 Years of Cataloguing – Wired Campus – The Chronicle of Higher Education http://bit.ly/dcpMUa #
College-Going Rates for All Racial Groups Have Jumped Since 1980 – The Ticker – The Chronicle of Higher Education http://bit.ly/bdw1vF #
A New Conversation With Sir Ken Robinson – THE DAILY RIFF – http://bit.ly/cj6Z7g #
Google Awards First Grants for New Digital Humanities Research Program – The Chronicle of Higher Education http://bit.ly/dis3di #
The origins of literacy: The Da Vinci code | The Economist http://bit.ly/d5cgOp #
Academic Outcomes of Study Abroad – Inside Higher Ed http://bit.ly/bRyDwe #
Frogs Jump Farther When Competing at County Fair | Wired Science | Wired.com http://bit.ly/dfMnjl #Twain #
Duke battles plagiarism in age of Internet | The Herald-Sun – http://bit.ly/92I0Ca #
On Facebook, Telling Teachers How Much They Meant – NYTimes.com http://nyti.ms/d0Tzcg #
Against Making Statements – ProfHacker – The Chronicle of Higher Education http://bit.ly/aMds8p #
Two Kinds Of Schooling – THE DAILY RIFF – http://bit.ly/d71CFH #
The Creativity Crisis In Our Schools – THE DAILY RIFF – http://bit.ly/dtRk3j #
"How Creative Are You?" – THE DAILY RIFF – http://bit.ly/bCBuZF #
E-Books Will Make Up Majority of Saint Leo U.'s Library Come Fall – The Chronicle of Higher Education http://bit.ly/auIVtw #
Hacking Your Library Catalog, Part 2: Mobile Apps – ProfHacker – The Chronicle of Higher Education http://bit.ly/crKWIz #

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@newsfromtengrrl for 2010-07-13

July 13, 2010

Cutting and Pasting – A Senior Thesis by (Insert Name) – NYTimes.com http://nyti.ms/boYpQ9 #plagiarism #
iPod Touch: Classroom Response System | A Millennial Professor's View of Higher Education: http://bit.ly/cOBpCm #
Has the road to innovation and change become smoother? – Education Week http://bit.ly/dgb60j #
Sow “Cyberwar” Rhetoric, Reap The NSA’s “Big Brother” – Forbes.com http://bit.ly/c4zBrR #
When Technology Doesn’t Help – Confessions of a Community College Dean – Inside Higher Ed http://bit.ly/byaqTH #

Filed under news

Classroom Activities Using Twitter

July 13, 2010

Since Twitter is a communications tool, there are infinite ways to use the site in the English classroom.

These two excellent videos provide introductions to using Twitter with students that are polished enough to share at staff meetings and professional development sessions:

The Twitter Experiment – UT Dallas is one of the first stories of a teacher using Twitter in the classroom to hit wide distribution . The YouTube video includes discussion and feedback from Dr. Monica Rankin and students in her history class. Rankin’s focus is on increasing discussion and class participation.
Twitter in the Classroom? shares details on a partnership between University of Minnesota and Roosevelt High School to use Twitter to communicate and engage students.

In addition to giving students some basic tutorials and guides, it’s useful to go over the information from College Student’s Guide: Twitter 101. The page shares advice on how to make choices wisely so that students are taken seriously when they use Twitter as part of their classes.

For some more concrete classroom activities, look at Twitter Resources for the Classroom and Ten Ways to Use Twitter with Colleagues, both from Bedford Bits.

You’ll also find useful examples in these articles:

[Creative Commons licensed Flickr photo by rockinfree]

Filed under classroom activities, Teaching with Digital Tools Tagged with assignments, twitter

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